In just two months after being hired, Gus Malzahn was able to bring together an impressive coaching staff that managed to finish with the nation's No. 8 overall recruiting class.
Malzahn was able to hold together the class of 2013 that witnessed the firing of the coaching staff that gained its pledges. If that wasn't a feat by itself, Malzahn then added some of the country's best players on top of it. If he can finish No. 8 overall in nearly 65 days, I believe 2014 will be a monumental recruiting year for Auburn.
The summer began with a bang when Auburn gained five commitments in May, then slowed to a screeching halt. I was even considering writing a column on the lack of recruiting news coming out of Auburn, but decided against it because of the lack of recruiting news everywhere.
Recruiting is a yearlong process for teams, but the dog days of summer are normally slower than the fall in commitment numbers. Then Auburn held its final summer football camp of the year, and everything changed.
In one weekend Auburn hosted more than 500 recruits from across the southeast and the visits paid off, landing the Tigers five commitments.
Once again co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig flashed his recruiting talents by reeling in the nation's top junior college receiver in D'haquille Williams. The four-star talent is Craig's eighth commitment as the leading recruiter in the class of 2014.
The feat earned him the No. 1 position on 24/7Sports' recruiter rankings for the class of 2014.
Craig's role in securing pledges from linebacker Tre Williams, defensive end Justin Thornton and linebacker Deshaun Davis showcases his ability to influence defensive players even as an offensive coach.
Forming relationships with recruits and their families can be the most beneficial deciding factor for players, more important than wins, facilities or location. Coach Craig seems to be the best at forming these crucial relationships.
D'haquille Williams told AuburnSports.com he can't talk to everyone about problems he may have off the field, but Coach Craig is someone he can open up to, and it helped earn his commitment.
I know a student who worked with Craig at Florida State and said he treats everyone with the same caring, passionate and mentoring personality he would with a recruit. As soon as we hired Craig, my friend texted me to say Auburn just hired the greatest recruiter in the country, and he was right.
As the recruiting season continues to heat up toward signing day in February, the combination of Malzahn, Craig and the Auburn experience should prove to be more than enough to sway some of the nation's remaining top recruits. Don't be surprised if Auburn can once again finish with a top-10 class, and with a few key commitments, possibly higher.
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